Chinatown Design Approved

In a unanimous decision, City College’s board of trustees approved the final design of the Lot 5 for the new Chinatown/North Beach campus on Thursday July 10, putting an end to a long delay.

The approval was postponed four months ago when what is known as Lot Nine and 10 buildings was approved, and deferred again by two weeks on June 26, during the last regular board meeting.

According to City College legal counsel Alan Spier the primary reason why the approval of the Lot 5 Resolution was postponed was due to the fact that the Planning Department had requested that they would be allowed to review and comment on the final design of Lot 5.

Spier insisted that this step was necessary because it would allow the college “to take additional input that would help us in the two lawsuits we are facing.”

The audience present at the July 10 meeting enthusiastically welcomed the long awaited decision. Peter Goldstein, vice chancellor of finance and administration noted that, “ The crowd was very supportive of the decision.”

Vincent Pan, an activist supporting the Chinatown campus, and executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action has been very vocal about the delay. He recognized the importance of the Board’s approval of Lot 5, and insisted, “It is important that nothing stops this project.”

When asked about the benefits of the Chinatown/North beach campus for the Chinese community, Pan replied they are tremendous, as a permanent facility would allow members of the community to further their education and would also allow them to take classes that will help them prepare for citizenship, said Pan.